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Governor Brown stumbles on small business tax

When the $1.3 billion small business tax (SB 1528) came up during the special session, Governor Kate Brown did something you rarely see her do — she publicly told local newspapers that she opposed what her fellow lawmakers were doing on the bill. To her credit, Governor Kate Brown was, in fact, correct and was not afraid to criticize members of her own party. The Senate Bill would have raised taxes on 190,000 small business owners in the state and is a disaster.

The bill passed the House and Senate with bipartisan opposition and no bipartisan support.

Weeks later, the small business tax has been lying on the Governor’s desk and languishing. The delay likely reflects that she does not want to sign it and that she is waiting for Spring Break to sign it when average Oregonians are not looking or paying attention.

This tragic scenario of a $1.3 billion tax being ramrodded through a super-fast Special Session and then likely signed into law in the dark is just more proof that we need a law to outlaw such backdoor tax increases.

Please sign the Tax is a Tax petition to outlaw hidden backdoor tax increases like the $1.3 billion small business tax SB 1528.

This $1.3 billion tax, over six years, was relabeled “not a tax” and allowed to pass the Legislature with * FEWER * votes than regular taxes.